Networks and distributed storage allow data to be shared between devices located anywhere a connection is available. Improvements in capacity and network speeds have enabled a move away from locally attached storage devices and towards centralized storage repositories such as cloud-based data storage. These storage systems may be scalable and may range from a single shared folder to a cluster of file servers attached to and controlling racks of disk arrays. These centralized offerings are delivering the promised advantages of security, worldwide accessibility, and data redundancy. To provide these services, storage systems may incorporate Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, Storage Area Network (SAN) devices, and other configurations of storage elements and controllers in order to provide data and manage its flow. Improvements in distributed storage have given rise to a cycle where applications demand increasing amounts of data delivered with reduced latency, greater reliability, and greater throughput. Building out a storage architecture to meet these expectations enables the next generation of applications, which is expected to bring even greater demand. NetApp storage systems offer NAS and SAN capabilities and support a wide range of standards.
Despite these advances, highly-customized solutions are not always the best way to meet a customer's needs within a budget. In some applications, it is better to rely on commonly available standard-compliant hardware rather than engineer a custom solution. However, standard-compliant hardware is not without its own drawbacks and may lag behind the latest developments. For example, many communication protocols used in data storage systems such as Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) and SATA have strict requirements governing the connections or links between devices. It would be beneficial for standard-compliant hardware to support a wider range of connection media (e.g., copper conductor, optical fiber, wireless, etc.), yet the benefit may not justify a proprietary overhaul of the standard. Instead, less radical improvements that work with standard hardware to increase the number of supported options may allow the storage system to wring more performance from the same hardware. For these reasons and others, systems and techniques that enable communication links not directly supported by a given communication standard may provide cost-effective performance enhancement.